Do we know how much of the plan was actually executed? It's a pretty ambitious project and would've taken decades to complete even with unlimited amounts of money. Plants and trees only grow so fast.

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Originally Posted by servi

Could be the Grave garden where he is sitting.

I don't think there's much dispute on that. Grav is Old English for grave and, if you look at your map, the three stones are marked on the map by three fat friars, rather in keeping with the rest of Crisp's whimsical approach to gardening. I wonder if he named the stones also?

It may seem weird to us today but such 'picturesque' follies as graves were not uncommon features in 18th-19th century gardens. Except for simple gazebos, follies seem pretty much to have ended with the Victorian era. Of a certainly they were no longer the fashion.

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Here's an old postcard of "Ye dial garden" that is depicted on the map above. Compare the postcard with the map and notice that even the statues and large vases are drawn in the map. Also the sundial is present (in the opposite corner). This had a text "shadows we are and shadows we depart" according to Alan Clayson's book "George Harrison" (page 302).

I love this!! This is fantastic to see, thank you so much for posting!! Do we know if George kept the exact design, just this way we see it here?

Quote:

Originally Posted by servi

Croci are crocuses, a kind of flower. Next to it is "Ye valley of daffodowndillies". Don't know how much was intact of the gardens in 1969. Concerning the house, the nuns that used to live there painted some things over here and there I read...

Yes, but to my knowledge George did have those restored, I believe?

So, crocuses and daffodowndillies... Do we have any pictures of these gardens from old and newer days? I wonder if Sir Frank liked Nathaniel Hawthone, who wrote a short piece about a schoolboy named Little Daffydowndilly... a pun on daffodowndillies and likely an interesting story for a boy who would be about 9 or 10 when the story came out.

Do we know how much of the plan was actually executed? It's a pretty ambitious project and would've taken decades to complete even with unlimited amounts of money. Plants and trees only grow so fast.

Yes yes... that is what I was wondering. I know George did take on a project and that the nuns had let things go... but it would be really great to have many details on exactly his work and ambitions within each segment of the garden... how much he restored, how much he took liberties to change...etc

Do we know more about who the Friars buried there, assuming the stones were not decorative?

I believe they were purely decorative. By the Victorian era there were laws regarding burials. From what I've seen from old maps the area was wooded over until Crisp started building on it, with no markings of graveyards or anything like that.

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Sometimes I dream in colors
It always happens when
I find myself with others
Who don't pretend

I believe they were purely decorative. By the Victorian era there were laws regarding burials. From what I've seen from old maps the area was wooded over until Crisp started building on it, with no markings of graveyards or anything like that.

Dear servi , what a wealth of information you share with us . Thank you so much . These are the things i love to read and learn about . It also proves that George still lives in the hearts of so many of us.
Yesterday i was looking again in the first part of the Michael Palin Dairies 1969-1979
He tells about his visit to FP on saturday october 4 th 1975 .On that day he remembers that his mother was born in Henley and that she once made a visit to FP to have tea with Sir Frank Crisp . That was sixty years ago on this day .He also tells that Frank was a barrister. For him it was great to be in that same building so many years later.

I have been thinking of the same thing, writing a George book but still am working out what would be the story but things like this are so mighty interersting because I know many people would be interested in the surrounding stories like about Friar Park

Wouldn t it be a great idea to set up a George Harrison Data Base , in which people can put in interesting facts , collected and checked by someone who is familiar with this sort of things ?
There are so many interesting little stories flying around and they deserve and need to be collected and saved .

Yesterday i was looking again in the first part of the Michael Palin Dairies 1969-1979
He tells about his visit to FP on saturday october 4 th 1975 .On that day he remembers that his mother was born in Henley and that she once made a visit to FP to have tea with Sir Frank Crisp . That was sixty years ago on this day

What an awesome story. Imagine how close Michael was to George and that his mom met Sir Frank. I wonder what conversations came of that.

Adri gave me the 1980-1988 book but now I really want the 1969-1979 version too, thanks Wim

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"Everyone should have themselves regularly overwhelmed by Nature"
- George Harrison

Do we know how much of the plan was actually executed? It's a pretty ambitious project and would've taken decades to complete even with unlimited amounts of money. Plants and trees only grow so fast.

This was not a plan to be executed, but this was a map for visitors to Friar Park, so everything on the map was actually there. This is also evidenced by the many postcards depicting the different gardens. I have cards with the Grotto, the Matterhorn, the Topiary, the Stepping stones, the Alpine Garden, the Stepping stones, the Lake etc. The gardens were open to the public. Here is a little text from an old (1930s-1940s ?) travel guide of Henley I have: "Among the splendid country seats close to Henley, one of the most magnificent is Friar Park, with Alpine Gardens, caves and rockeries. It stands on high ground to the north-west of the town and its grounds are open to the public every Wednesday from May to September, at a small charge, imposed for the benefits of local charities".
For those interested, I started an earlier thread on this forum here which has some info on Sir Frank and FP and some old postcards:http://www.beatlelinks.net/forums/sh...ad.php?t=42508 At the end of this thread there is info how to order a photocopy of the guide to Friar Park's garden via the British Library. The pictures in that book however are just drawings and it mostly focusses on the plants so little actual info on the gardens. Thanks everyone for the interest and response, glad to know that others are interested in FP/Sir Frank as well. I have been investigating the "scientific" site of Sir Frank also (as a memeber of the Royal Microscopical and Linnaean Society). It is amazing what the man did as a hard-working lawyer, scientist and eccentric. He was very rich but not lazy at all.
Finally, I was listening to Ravi Shankar's Music Festival from India on the Dark Horse label and on the inner sleeve it said that it was recorded at "Ye Drawing Room" at Friar Park. That made me wonder whether a map of the house itself also exists ? The use of "Ye" I found quite remarkable but maybe it was a joke by George and Ravi, who knows ????

Lovely image there on that postcard...looks so familar to me. Thank you for posting that!

Looking at the postcard image reminded me of this photo of George showing some friends of his what may be another side of the 'Dial Garden'. If one compares the layout of the ground and the various shaped trees, it looks very similar to the image from the postcard.

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Wow, the pic of George in the greenhouse is superb ! If I'm not mistaken he gave an interview for Dutch TV (Ivo Niehe's TV show) while sitting in the greenhouse around the time Cloud Nine was released. Maybe I'm mistaken but maybe someone can confirm this ?? Couldn't find it on youtube, but still have it somewhere on VHS (but where....).
Concerning the Matterhorn: I recently found a book called "Last country houses" which has a large pic of the Matterhorn. Can post scan if anyone's interested. Also the book has 2 drawings of Friars drom the House and one of these drawings is exactly the Friar that is depicted on the fold-out sleeve of Thirty three and one third (called "Two Holy Friars).
Here is a pic of another old postcard I have.

Wow, the pic of George in the greenhouse is superb ! If I'm not mistaken he gave an interview for Dutch TV (Ivo Niehe's TV show) while sitting in the greenhouse around the time Cloud Nine was released. Maybe I'm mistaken but maybe someone can confirm this ?? Couldn't find it on youtube, but still have it somewhere on VHS (but where....).

You are right, I also have it on VHS somewhere but remember very well how relaxed the interview was and also that before the interview started George posed on that chair in different positions.

__________________
"Everyone should have themselves regularly overwhelmed by Nature"
- George Harrison